Because most newly arising mutations are neutral or deleterious, it has been argued 1 , 2 ,
3 that the mutation rate has evolved to be as low as possible, limited only by the cost of error-…

Selection of mutator alleles, increasing the mutation rate up to 10,000-fold, has been
observed during in vitro experimental evolution. This spread is ascribed to the hitchhiking of …

Founder effects are largely responsible for changes in frequency profiles of genetic variants
in local populations or isolates. They are often recognized by elevated incidence of certain …

Sexually antagonistic (SA) selection, a form of selection that can occur when both sexes
have different fitness optima for a trait, is a major force shaping the evolution of organisms. A …

Several studies showed that surnames are good markers to infer patrilineal genetic structures
of populations, both on regional and microregional scales. As a case study, the spatial …

The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its uneven distribution among human populations
is both a major public health concern and a puzzle in evolutionary biology. Why is this …

Although pervasive in many animal species, the evidence for major histocompatibility
complex (MHC) disassortative mating in humans remains inconsistent across studies. Here, to …

Background Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is very rare in children. Only a few small
series have been published, with little information about long-term progression. The …

Our focus in this paper is the analysis of surnames, which have been proven to be reliable
genetic markers because in patrilineal systems they are transmitted along generations …

Association or linkage studies involving control and long-lived populations provide
information on genes that influence longevity. However, the relationship between allele-specific …